“Check Before You Burn” season beginning Nov. 1.

“Check Before You Burn” season beginning Nov. 1.

Posted: Mon Oct 31, 2016 6:43 pm

by Wilberforce

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is kicking off its 14th “Check Before You Burn” season beginning Nov. 1.

The program aims to minimize particulate pollution due to smoke from residential wood burning. Each day through the end of February 2017, the district will issue a daily wood-burning status by county. Status updates include no burning at residences, only registered clean-burning devices allowed and no restrictions.

To get the daily burn status, Valley residents may sign up for email notifications by visiting www.valleyair.org/CBYB. Daily wood-burning declarations are also available by calling 1-800-SMOG INFO (766-4463) or by downloading the free iPhone app “Valley Air” from the App Store.

In order to take advantage of additional burn days, Valley residents are invited to register their clean EPA Phase II wood or pellet burning device with the District by visiting www.valleyair.org/CBYBregistration.

Valley residents wanting to switch out older wood-burning devices for a cleaner model can take advantage of the District’s Burn Cleaner grants which provide $1,000 for certified wood, pellet inserts, freestanding stoves or natural gas inserts or $2,500 for eligible low-income applicants for all devices.

An additional $500 is available to all applicants for the installation costs on a natural gas device. To participate in this program, visit www.valleyair.org/burncleaner.

“Wood smoke is one of the most dangerous pollutants that you can expose yourself, your children, and your neighbors to,” said Seyed Sadredin, air district executive director. “Prolonged exposure to wood smoke can lead to pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary heart disease, heart failure and cancer.”

There are two exceptions to wood-burning prohibitions: If the residence does not have another source of heat or if the residence does not have access to natural-gas service.

The winter Spare the Air season begins Tuesday when new regulations for wood-burning devices also become effective, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced.

During a winter Spare the Air alert, it is illegal to burn wood, manufactured fire logs or any other solid fuel, both indoors and outdoors, during the winter Spare the Air season from Nov. 1–Feb. 28.

“Wood smoke from the Bay Area’s 1.4 million fireplaces and wood stoves continues to be the largest source of wintertime air pollution in the region,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the Air District. “The Air District’s more stringent amendments to our wood-burning rule serve to further protect public health from wood smoke pollution.”

Starting Tuesday, the following new requirements will go into effect:

1. Anyone whose sole source of heat is a wood-burning device must use an EPA-certified or pellet-fueled device that is registered with the Air District to qualify for an exemption. An open-hearth fireplace will no longer qualify for an exemption.

2. Bay Area residents who begin a chimney or fireplace remodeling project that costs over $15,000 and requires a building permit will be allowed to install only a gas-fueled, electric or EPA-certified device.

3. No wood-burning devices of any kind may be installed in new homes or buildings being constructed in the Bay Area.

For more information about recent requirements to the Air District’s Wood Burning Rule, see the amendments press release at http://bit.ly/1KDjbDm.